The comments underscored how, almost seven decades after Morocco won independence from France, the two countries remain bound by more than a century of shared history and culture. “We are all devastated by the terrible earthquake in Morocco,” President Emmanuel Macron of France said on social media. “France stands ready to help with first aid.”France ruled Morocco as a protectorate from 1912 to 1956. Relations between France and Morocco have been mostly cordial since independence, and the two nations have strong economic and social ties. (France won, but later lost to Argentina in the final.)
